Latest news with #Strasbourg-based
The Sun
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Italy calls Council of Europe 'shameful' after warning on police racism
ROME: Italy lashed out at the Council of Europe on Thursday and defended its police after the European human rights body named Italy among countries where racist conduct among law enforcers was a problem. In presenting its 2025 annual report on Wednesday, the head of the Council's Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) urged Italy to launch an independent enquiry into evidence that its police disproportionately targeted immigrants. Bertil Cottier said so-called 'racial profiling', by which the police stop people on the basis of their skin colour or presumed nationality or religion, appeared to be an issue in Italy and called on the government to look into it. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her deputy Matteo Salvini, who both lead far-right parties that base their appeal on law-and-order and the fight against illegal immigration, bluntly dismissed the suggestion. 'ECRI's words, accusing the Italian police of racism, are simply shameful,' Brothers of Italy chief Meloni posted on social media platform X on Wednesday. League leader Salvini doubled down on Thursday, telling reporters in Rome that the anti-racism panel 'should be ashamed,' and calling it 'another useless body paid for by Italian and European citizens, that produces rubbish in return.' The head of state Sergio Mattarella summoned Italy's police chief for a meeting on Thursday, 'to re-confirm the admiration and trust of the country in its law enforcers.' The Council of Europe did not respond to a request for comment. The Strasbourg-based organisation, which has 46 member states, was founded in 1949 to promote democracy and human rights in the continent. The latest ECRI report was an overview of its activities in 2024 and did not specifically discuss the Italian situation. However, in ECRI's latest country-specific report in October, it flagged 'numerous accounts of racial profiling by law enforcement officials, targeting especially Roma and people of African descent' in Italy.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Italy calls Council of Europe 'shameful' for police racism
ROME: Italy lashed out at the Council of Europe on Thursday and defended its police after the European human rights body named Italy among countries where racist conduct among law enforcers was a problem. In presenting its 2025 annual report on Wednesday, the head of the Council's Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) urged Italy to launch an independent enquiry into evidence that its police disproportionately targeted immigrants. Bertil Cottier said so-called 'racial profiling', by which the police stop people on the basis of their skin colour or presumed nationality or religion, appeared to be an issue in Italy and called on the government to look into it. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her deputy Matteo Salvini, who both lead far-right parties that base their appeal on law-and-order and the fight against illegal immigration, bluntly dismissed the suggestion. 'ECRI's words, accusing the Italian police of racism, are simply shameful,' Brothers of Italy chief Meloni posted on social media platform X on Wednesday. League leader Salvini doubled down on Thursday, telling reporters in Rome that the anti-racism panel 'should be ashamed,' and calling it 'another useless body paid for by Italian and European citizens, that produces rubbish in return.' The head of state Sergio Mattarella summoned Italy's police chief for a meeting on Thursday, 'to re-confirm the admiration and trust of the country in its law enforcers.' The Council of Europe did not respond to a request for comment. The Strasbourg-based organisation, which has 46 member states, was founded in 1949 to promote democracy and human rights in the continent. The latest ECRI report was an overview of its activities in 2024 and did not specifically discuss the Italian situation. However, in ECRI's latest country-specific report in October, it flagged 'numerous accounts of racial profiling by law enforcement officials, targeting especially Roma and people of African descent' in Italy.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Italy calls Council of Europe 'shameful' after warning on police racism
ROME (Reuters) -Italy lashed out at the Council of Europe on Thursday and defended its police after the European human rights body named Italy among countries where racist conduct among law enforcers was a problem. In presenting its 2025 annual report on Wednesday, the head of the Council's Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) urged Italy to launch an independent enquiry into evidence that its police disproportionately targeted immigrants. Bertil Cottier said so-called "racial profiling", by which the police stop people on the basis of their skin colour or presumed nationality or religion, appeared to be an issue in Italy and called on the government to look into it. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her deputy Matteo Salvini, who both lead far-right parties that base their appeal on law-and-order and the fight against illegal immigration, bluntly dismissed the suggestion. "ECRI's words, accusing the Italian police of racism, are simply shameful," Brothers of Italy chief Meloni posted on social media platform X on Wednesday. League leader Salvini doubled down on Thursday, telling reporters in Rome that the anti-racism panel "should be ashamed," and calling it "another useless body paid for by Italian and European citizens, that produces rubbish in return." The head of state Sergio Mattarella summoned Italy's police chief for a meeting on Thursday, "to re-confirm the admiration and trust of the country in its law enforcers." The Council of Europe did not respond to a request for comment. The Strasbourg-based organisation, which has 46 member states, was founded in 1949 to promote democracy and human rights in the continent. The latest ECRI report was an overview of its activities in 2024 and did not specifically discuss the Italian situation. However, in ECRI's latest country-specific report in October, it flagged "numerous accounts of racial profiling by law enforcement officials, targeting especially Roma and people of African descent" in Italy.
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Italy calls Council of Europe 'shameful' after warning on police racism
Police patrols outside the press centre facilities, ahead of the G7 summit of world leaders in the city of Bari, Italy, June 12, 2024. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki/ File Photo ROME - Italy lashed out at the Council of Europe on Thursday and defended its police after the European human rights body named Italy among countries where racist conduct among law enforcers was a problem. In presenting its 2025 annual report on Wednesday, the head of the Council's Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) urged Italy to launch an independent enquiry into evidence that its police disproportionately targeted immigrants. Bertil Cottier said so-called "racial profiling", by which the police stop people on the basis of their skin colour or presumed nationality or religion, appeared to be an issue in Italy and called on the government to look into it. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her deputy Matteo Salvini, who both lead far-right parties that base their appeal on law-and-order and the fight against illegal immigration, bluntly dismissed the suggestion. "ECRI's words, accusing the Italian police of racism, are simply shameful," Brothers of Italy chief Meloni posted on social media platform X on Wednesday. League leader Salvini doubled down on Thursday, telling reporters in Rome that the anti-racism panel "should be ashamed," and calling it "another useless body paid for by Italian and European citizens, that produces rubbish in return." The head of state Sergio Mattarella summoned Italy's police chief for a meeting on Thursday, "to re-confirm the admiration and trust of the country in its law enforcers." The Council of Europe did not respond to a request for comment. The Strasbourg-based organisation, which has 46 member states, was founded in 1949 to promote democracy and human rights in the continent. The latest ECRI report was an overview of its activities in 2024 and did not specifically discuss the Italian situation. However, in ECRI's latest country-specific report in October, it flagged "numerous accounts of racial profiling by law enforcement officials, targeting especially Roma and people of African descent" in Italy. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Epoch Times
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Turkey Jails 18 More Opposition-Linked Istanbul Officials in Widening Clampdown
An Istanbul court has jailed 18 opposition-linked municipal officials pending trial on graft charges, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency The move comes amid an ongoing clampdown on officials affiliated with the Republican People's Party (CHP), Turkey's main opposition party. Over the weekend, local authorities detained 47 other opposition-linked Istanbul officials on similar charges of corruption. The detentions follow the arrest last month of Ekrem Imamoglu, Istanbul's CHP-affiliated mayor, on corruption and terrorism-related charges. Long seen as a potential challenger to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Imamoglu remains in detention pending trial. Imamoglu and his supporters, along with other critics of Erdogan's long-ruling AK Party, say the charges against him are politically motivated. Related Stories 4/2/2025 3/24/2025 His initial arrest on March 19 sparked Turkey's largest wave of opposition protests in more than a decade. The CHP, along with smaller opposition parties, has continued to organize weekly protests in Istanbul to demand Imamoglu's release and reinstatement as mayor. More than 2,000 people, including several journalists, have been arrested for taking part in the protests despite an ongoing ban on large public gatherings. Since Imamoglu's arrest last month, scores of other opposition-linked municipal officials have been detained by authorities. In response to the fresh spate of arrests over the weekend, Imamoglu accused the government of resorting to 'lies and slander' to sideline its political opponents. 'I will defend every one of my colleagues to the very end throughout this process,' he Mayors Ousted In local polls held last year, CHP mayoral candidates were elected in Istanbul, Izmir, the capital Ankara, and several other municipalities across the country. In the months leading up to Imamoglu's arrest, two other CHP-linked mayors—both in the province of Istanbul—were removed from their posts after being convicted of corruption and terrorism-related charges. CHP leader Ozgür Ozel (C) sits next to an empty seat reserved for arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu at an extraordinary party congress in Ankara on April 6, the same period, eight other mayors in eastern Turkey, all of whom were affiliated with the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, were removed from their posts following similar convictions. All of the mayors denied the charges against them. They said their convictions—and subsequent removal from office—were motivated by political considerations. In February, the Strasbourg-based European Parliament condemned what it described as the 'arbitrary dismissal and imprisonment of democratically elected mayors' by the Turkish authorities. The government has dismissed the criticism, saying Turkey's judicial apparatus functions independently of the ruling party. Reuters contributed to this report.
